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Mnangagwa says his govt slept on duty

by Staff reporter
17 Dec 2022 at 12:13hrs | Views
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday admitted that government has been sleeping on duty as far as developing the country's economy was concerned.

Officially opening the first phase of the US$7,4 million Madokero Mall and Sanganai Gated Complex units in Harare West, Mnangagwa said: "This is what we should have begun doing 40 years ago, but we were all sleeping, but the fund was there."

The projects are being funded under the Public Service Commission Pension Fund.

"The PSC Pension Fund is not new, but what is new is what they are doing now. The pension fund invested in a hotel in Victoria Falls and is also working on a mini hydro-electricity plant in Masvingo expected to add five megawatts to the national grid," Mnangagwa said.

"All these resources are domestic resources and not from anywhere, we build our own country with our own resources and not from anywhere."

The event was attended by Vice-President Constanino Chiwenga, Defence minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri and service chiefs.

Phase one of the Sanganai Gated Complex has 150 housing units, which have already been occupied, while phase two, which is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2023 will deliver 200 more units.

This comes as Zimbabwe reels under a huge infrastructure deficit with power shortages currently crippling industry.

Roads are in a sorry state across the country, with water supply, public health and education facilities also in an appalling state, and corruption has exacerbated the situation.

On Wednesday, Mnangagwa complained of rampant corruption in the distribution of presidential farming inputs and warned his lieutenants that "heads will roll".

"There are also concerns that some people are stealing presidential inputs and you are being limited on the inputs you want," Mnangagwa said during ground-breaking ceremony of Sabi Lithium Mine in Buhera.

"We will make sure that those in the habit of stealing are dealt with. It's a bad habit that should stop. A situation where there is outright sabotage of our strategic national infrastructure, theft of national resources and blatant corruption undertaken in the glare of our public officials is not acceptable. Heads will surely roll."

Communal farmers receive free farming inputs under the presidential input scheme. Zanu-PF has often been accused of politicising the scheme.

Source - Newsday Zimbabwe
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